Kevin Mitnick warns Obama’s Blackberry still hackable

By Johnny Daniels
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

kevinmitnickWhile President Obama is going around thinking that his sparkling, very expensive new smart phone is secure and hacker-proof, convicted hacker Kevin Mitnick has some bad news for him – it’s not secure at all.

Mitnick, who spent nearly 5 years in prison for hacking offences, told Fox News that the way into Obama’s device would be to target the people he is emailing – because their computers will be much less guarded than Obama’s will be.

If a hacker can get into the computer of one of Obama’s email correspondents, the next step would be to discover the closely guarded email address of the president.  They could then use the friend’s email address to impersonate that person and send Obama an email trying to entice him to open a virus-infected attachment or lure him to a virus-infected website.

The theory is sound enough, but to be honest, I don’t see it happening.  I’d like to credit the president with some intelligence that a) he has a virus scanner installed on his Blackberry (there’s almost no viruses made for mobile devices anyways) and b) he can spot when someone else is impersonating his friends.  For example, I know how my friends write.  I know their “style” and I know their “voice”.   If someone else tried to pretend they were them, my sixth sense would kick in and I would know right away that they were imposters.

Plus as President of the United States, I would like to think that even if his best friend sent him an attachment, he would err on the side of caution and would think twice before opening anything.

But I accept the gist of what Mitnick is saying and I hope that Obama’s email friends get some help from the NSA with their computer security.   It’s in everyone’s best interests after all.



Heath Ledger fans campaign for the Joker to be retired

By Johnny Daniels
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

heathjoker

When Heath Ledger died his untimely death, it was a tragedy to be sure. But his fans think that his performance as the Joker was so good that no actor can do it better. So they want Hollywood to “retire” the Joker character to ensure that no-one plays the role ever again.  In order to attain their goal, they have started a web campaign to garner support.

You can sign the petition (for all the good it will do – I am very cynical about online petitions), download a Joker card, join the Flickr page, visit their YouTube or Facebook page or subscribe to their RSS feed.

But the site is attracting some rather negative and nasty comments such as the one below :

“The group says once they get 50,000 signatures they’re going to march on Warner Bros. or something like that. In the time that it takes them to get 50,000 signatures for a petition that stupid, I’m guessing that I could build a device to electroshock Heath Ledger back to life so he can continue the role himself.”

As the Joker himself would say “why so serious?“

Feature: Audio Modulated Thunder Music Pleases Thor

By Brian Boyko
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

You’ve probably seen something like this before, but never this well. ArcAttack uses two eight foot Tesla coils and a robotic percussion band in order to play music.

In addition to the interview with one of the ArcAttack members, John DiPrima, that we’ve conducted for our series on crazy inventors and inventions, we’ve also made sure that you’ll be able to enjoy renditions of “Popcorn” and the “Doctor Who” theme via audio-modulated freakin’ thunder.

For those who want to skip the interview, “Popcorn” starts at 3:50 and “Doctor Who” starts at 6:45

You’ll have to excuse the fact that we set up the camera about 100 feet from the actual Tesla coils. Any closer to that and we were getting serious interference which was throwing off our cameras’ focus – and doing god knows what else to them. You can see some of the effects from seeing the coils light up fluorescent lights from 15 feet away.

Check out ArcAttack‘s Web site if you’re interested in finding out more information.

Oh, one last thing: As always, don’t try this at home.



Woman who misses flight goes absolutely nuts

By Johnny Daniels
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

The woman in the following video missed her flight to San Francisco from Hong Kong airport. Rather than calmly accepting her situation and booking herself onto the next available flight, she decided to go all Kamikaze on everyone. In the process, she became a YouTube sensation.

She was later allowed onto another flight, no doubt after a thorough cavity search and being maced a few times.

Mario Eight Ways

By Casey Lynn
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

The Super Mario Brothers theme song is one of those iconic melodies that most people probably recognize even if they’ve never played the game. It’s fun to hear, fun to play, and makes a pretty good ringtone. I’ve scoured YouTube for the most creative homemade versions of the song, so you may have seen some of these before. I can play it on the piano, but that’s boring compared to these guys; here’s how they Mario.

Continue reading ›

Nevada casinos alerted to card-counting iPhone app

The business model for casinos always includes the simple idea that in general, gamblers will lose more than they win.  Every game is constructed to fulfill that expectation, while still allowing enough winnings to keep hopeful gamblers interested.  Any factor that alters those odds, therefore, threatens the casino business.

It isn’t illegal to count cards when playing blackjack, even though knowing what’s left in the deck gives you a considerable advantage.  There isn’t any way to prove what’s going on in the gambler’s head (at least, not yet) — though if he or she is suspected of card counting, they’d probably be asked to leave.

On the other hand, using a device to aid you in counting cards is a felony in Nevada (gives you an idea of how much the gambling industry means to that state’s economy, eh?).  If discovered, casino operators are given the latitude to decide whether to hand you over to authorities or deal with you in their own (gulp) way.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board has sent out a warning to casinos about a new IPhone app by TMSoft called Card Counter. They were tipped off by California gaming authorities, who were in turn notified of the app by operators of an Indian Casino in the northern part of the state.  Supposedly, this app can be used to count cards during a game, and can even be operated in “stealth mode” with the screen off.  If you know where the right keys are, I guess you can hold it in your pocket and avoid detection.

The app is available through iTunes.  Its description there and on the TMSoft site says a lot about how it can teach you the strategies for card-counting, but nothing about being able to use the app as a card-counting aid while gambling.  Regardless, I wouldn’t want Guido to find it in my pocket.

SimerLab’s Amazing Floating Platform

SimerLab Physicist Janick Simeray built this cool levitation device, which uses a sophisticated electromagnetic system to make objects float in mid-air. Well actually, the objects themselves don’t really float; it’s the platform they’re sitting on that does. Still impressive nonetheless.

[Via TechEblog]

Remix Videos: Another One Bites the Dust

By Casey Lynn
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I mentioned videos disappearing from YouTube due to Warner Music’s copyright claims? Well, I was really saddened to notice that one of the victims was the “Flagpole Sitta” lip dub video, created by the guys in the Vimeo office (though you would probably recognize them from CollegeHumor).

The reason that this particular video is so special is that it actually started the whole lip dub genre; in fact, the founder of Vimeo was the one who coined the term. It’s become a real phenomenon now, spawning University LipDub, Office LipDub, and even a Flight of the Conchords contest with entries from some people you might recognize. And of course, lots of YouTube videos, at least, the ones that haven’t been hit by a takedown notice yet.

Not to say that Warner Music doesn’t have a right to protect its copyright, and even if these kinds of videos would be considered fair use, no one’s going to find out unless someone takes it to court–which I seriously doubt amateur filmmakers have the resources to do. Though I can’t help but wonder how many people heard Harvey Danger’s “Flagpole Sitta” for the first time when seeing that video (I mean, it was even in the Washington Post!) and then bought the mp3 on iTunes or even the album. After all, I wonder how much money was spent on the official music video for the song. I’m pretty sure that many, many more people saw the lip dub video, and that didn’t cost any record labels a cent.

Of course, the video is still up at Vimeo!

And one video that’s still alive and kicking on YouTube is a lip dub to Mika’s “Lollipop” by the students at the HEC business school in Paris: